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Two books by Grandmaster John Emms in one volume: It's been said many times before that chess is an easy game to learn, but a difficult one to master. The game is full of difficult questions such as, 'What do you do when your opponent is skilful enough to prevent both checkmate and material loss?' However, once the principal strategic ideas are recognised, then everything becomes much clearer and the game becomes much simpler. In this book Grandmaster and experienced chess writer John Emms provides the reader with the fundamental knowledge required to enter every game with confidence.

Most experts agree that to reach a high standard at chess, one must not only be able to calculate properly but also master the many positional points of the game. However, while tactical ability is clear-cut and can be improved simply by the continual practice of puzzles, learning the finer points of positional play that come so naturally to Grandmasters can seem like a frightening task for the less experienced player.

In this book, Grandmaster John Emms aims to solve this problem, giving the reader a thorough grooming on all the crucial aspects of chess strategy. Moving on from the basic principles, Emms draws upon both his own experiences and those of other international players to unravel the mystery surrounding positional chess. This book will be particularly helpful for those who have previously honed their chess skills with the highly popular Simple Chess